Integrated digital signal processor/general purpose CPU with shared internal memory

USRE40942E1 · kind E1 · reissue

Assignee

• NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION · US

Inventors

• Amos Intrater · Tung Chung, CN
• Gideon Intrater · Sunnyvale, US
• Moshe Doron · San Francisco, US
• Lev Epstein · Netanya, IL
• Maurice Valentaten · Geltendorf, DE
• Israel Greiss · Raanana, IL

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 20, 1999
• Grant date: Oct 20, 2009
• Expiry date: Jan 20, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC —): General

Abstract

An integrated data processing platform for processing a digital signal that includes a general purpose processor and a digital signal processor (DSP) module. The DSP module recovers digital data from a digital signal utilizing a sequence of DSP operations selected by the general purpose processor. The general purpose processor processes the digital data recovered by the DSP module, but is also available to perform general purpose tasks. A shared internal memory array selectively provides information to the DSP module and to the general purpose processor. The information stored in the internal memory array includes operands utilized in the execution of the DSP algorithm and selected instructions and data utilized by the general purpose CPU either for controlling the execution of the DSP algorithm or for executing its own general purpose tasks. While in many applications the data processing system will include an analog front end that converts a modulated input signal received on an analog transmission channel to a corresponding digital signal for processing by the data processing system, the data processing system may also receive the digital signal directly from a digital source.